The horrific mass shooting in Florida, the shooting of Christina Grimmie, and my opinion on gun control

Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the scene of the worst mass shooting in US history, leaving 49 people dead

The news that came from Orlando, Florida on Sunday morning was nothing short of heartbreaking, horrifying, and sickening. 49 innocent lives lost while they were just trying to have a good time. A gunman, Omar Mateen, went into a gay nightclub, Pulse, and proceeded to injure 102 people, with 49 being fatal. I have put the names of every victim at the bottom of this blog. It's just come out in the news that a bouncer at the nightclub, Imran Yousuf, was in fact an ex-Marine, and thanks to his quick thinking - he recognised the sound of a high caliber weapon, so realising everybody was in danger, he got as many people out the door as possible - he was responsible for saving the lives of around 70 people. Anybody who knows me will know that I am a huge supporter of LGBT rights, and last year I even took to my often unused blog because I felt the news that same-sex marriage had been made legal in the US was a very big deal. So I'm incredibly upset by this attack on the LGBT community, and I will stand with them, just like millions of people are also doing around the world. #LoveIsLove #LoveWins

Top picture: the Eiffel Tower lit up in the colours of the LGBT pride flag. Middle pic: loads of people gather outside the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando to pay their respects. Bottom pic: the LGBT flag colours on the Sydney Harbour Bridge

This shooting comes ridiculously soon after the tragic shooting of the incredibly talented Christina Grimmie, a 22-year-old singer/songwriter who had an exciting life ahead of her. Christina made many people happy with what she did. After a show of hers in Orlando, she had the decency to meet her fans, a moment that the fans would never forget; unfortunately, they would never forget this moment for all the wrong reasons. Christina got shot by a gunman - who we now know to be Kevin James Loibl, but we don't know his motive - prompting her brother, Marcus Grimmie, to confront the shooter, who then pulls the gun on himself. Who knows how many people may have been killed if not for the heroic actions of Christina's brother?! Whilst both of these shootings are truly saddening stories to hear, they unfortunately aren't hugely rare. Now is not the time to recap all the major shootings of years gone by, but at what point do we say "enough is enough"? Surely things need to change?

Christina Grimmie, shot dead at the age of 22, whilst meeting fans after a show of hers in Orlando

Back in 1996, Dunblane in Scotland had one of the worst mass shootings that Great Britain has ever seen. A man walked into a primary school with 743(!!!) cartridges of ammunition and 4 guns - which were legal in GB at the time - and he took the lives of 16 young children and 1 of their teachers. Because of this, the GB government acted to ban guns from being privately owned. Ever since, you don't really hear about shootings in GB, because, quite simply, people aren't allowed to privately own guns in the first place; and acquiring one in GB would require some REAL effort! If you stop people from owning guns, or at least make it MUCH harder to acquire them, you seriously reduce shootings - period.

In Japan, where it's nigh on impossible to own a gun, there are virtually no gun deaths. In Australia, after they brought in gun control laws after a mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996, they haven't had a single mass shooting since. Whereas, in just a 72-hour period prior to the 14th of June, 2016, 93 people were killed because of shootings in the US, with a further 205 injured; and this staggeringly doesn't include the Orlando nightclub shooting!

That's all just my opinion, I felt I had to get it out.

R.I.P. to all the beautiful people who lost their lives in Orlando, as well as the wonderful Christina Grimmie. 💚🎤 It's incredibly disheartening and distressing what happened in both of these situations, and I hope we one day don't hear about these types of stories anymore. 🙏🚫🔫🚫 My thoughts are currently with the families and friends of those who were mercifully killed. So many precious lives unfortunately taken, but we will always remember them. 💙🌈

The 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting:

Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old

Amanda Alvear, 25 years old

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old

Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old

Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old

Cory James Connell, 21 years old

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old

Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old

Frank Hernandez, 27 years old

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old

Kimberly Morris, 37 years old

Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old

Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old

Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old

Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old

The side of me that people don't really know: depression, anxiety, gambling...

I've always been one to keep myself to myself. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse. It's for the better when, say, you're in a busy place like London, because I just keep my head down and stick to where I'm going, always keeping out of any kind of trouble. It's for the worse when, say, you're the quietest person in a class/group, or at a party (side note: I don't really go to parties, I'm way too uncool!), because people don't know what to make of you. Am I being rude, am I not interested in chatting to other people? No, it's none of that - it's that I get anxious in many social situations, finding it scary to communicate with new people. What if they hate me!? What if I'm boring!? (what if my mind would actually leave me alone for once!?) It's the reason I think I would never go on a date. My last two relationships have come from chatting to each person online for ages beforehand, finding out you have things in common and then taking it from there. Speaking of online, it's where I make friends nowadays. Everything becomes easier when you know you have something in common - music/bands, sports, video games, etc. - and, of course, when you can hide behind a screen.

On my social media - and usually in real life, to an extent - as you will have seen, I tend to remain rather positive. Whether it be posting about my favourite bands, sports teams, video games, TV shows, etc., I'm rarely negative; and whilst that's what people would definitely rather see, it's not necessarily how I'm actually always feeling. Yes, what I'm posting is always 100% genuine about my personality/interests/likes, but often only from the one side of me: the "positive" side. For example: unless I actually already told you, how many people would have a clue that I've been suffering with depression for about three+ months? Truth be told, I don't think my family or close friends really know! And that's another bad example of keeping myself to myself: that nobody really knows what I'm thinking, as I don't talk about my problems (which is why I thought this blog piece would be both completely honest and therapeutic).

Before anybody says, "maybe you're just sad?" No, sadness is when one of my favourite sports teams loses an important match; when a band I love splits up; when I was in a long distance relationship and had to leave my girlfriend temporarily. And by that I mean, you're sad for a bit, but you know you're happy/okay in general. With depression, it's the other way around: I have moments of happiness - bands/songs/concerts, gaming (be it alone or with Daniel or Pete), favourite TV shows, etc. - but I know that I'm still not good. I've really been struggling to pinpoint the exact reason why it hit me. Was it because I was ill over Christmas and New Year, causing me to completely lack in any festive spirit, as well as making me fairly grumpy? Was it because I was single for the first time in three Christmases (I don't think it was this, I've been perfectly happy being single - although, maybe it was hitting me during the holidays)? Did the Britain's Got Talent rejection get to me? Was it because I'd been stupidly gambling away money I had worked hard to earn? Maybe it's all of those things, combined with about a million other problems I have - most of which could probably be solved if I got out of my head occasionally!

I started gambling - by my own means - sometime last year. I guess it's something I wouldn't have even remotely considered doing whilst in a relationship - because my money was important for that - but I certainly don't want to make excuses. At first, it was sensible and fine, and because only a little bit of money was being spent on it occasionally, if I did actually win, I was making a profit. And I did win, a lot (my sports knowledge is VERY good), sometimes £100+, around £300 at one point, around £900 on another occasion - and then you had the time I won around £1000+. This sort of money has bought me: plenty of Amiibos (Nintendo's collectible figures - I'm a proud geek!), concert tickets, even a 40-inch HD TV for the living room, amongst other things. But, sadly, I didn't stop. I got greedy, hoping to win more and more - but it just doesn't work like that! I'd like to think I've learnt my lesson from all the money I've lost, but only time will tell. I wish to point out that I never steal to gamble, or sell things to gamble, or anything like that - and I, of course, would never do those things, I'm not that type of guy. Hell, I've never even walked into a betting shop before, and I don't plan on doing so! This all just came about because of the convenience of how easy it is to use a debit card to place bets online on my phone - and because of my foolishness, of course.

I took a couple of online tests for depression: one told me I had "severe depression", whilst the NHS one told me "it's very likely you have some form of depression, go see your doctor." I haven't gone and got any help yet, but maybe I need to? I almost went and got help in February before the All Time Low concert I was going to; in fact, I even had a doctors appointment booked for the morning of the day of the concert, but I didn't go, which I know is a really bad thing to do. I really just wasn't feeling up for the concert, and if I can't even get motivated for a concert from one of my favourite bands, then something is certainly wrong in my head! Fortunately, I did go, and things were at least starting to pick up a bit, and after I had been to the two concerts I had tickets for in February - All Time Low and Twenty One Pilots (I'll be writing about those two phenomenal nights on my blog very soon - back to positive posts!) - I was really starting to feel better, in the way that only the enchantment of concerts can do so. Then, days after the Twenty One Pilots concert, I fell ill with the worst physical illness I've had in as long as I can remember. A really bad case of flu that was making me feel like I was on fire - even when the temperature was actually 0 degrees Celsius outside(!) - one of the worst sore throats ever; a cold so bad that it was giving me epic nosebleeds that made it look like I'd murdered somebody in my dad's bathroom; and general pain coming from my head, eyes, and most body parts. The illness lasted about two-three weeks, and to say it knocked me back down would be an understatement. I missed a concert, I missed live Reading football matches, and I still haven't really shaken off the state I got into during the illness. For those wondering if I've been suicidal? Yes, on many occasions, but I don't think I would ever actually be able to go through with anything. There are certain aspects of life that I like a great deal, including all my wonderful family and friends.

The way that I've been feeling is why I haven't written on this blog in months; and it's the same reason I have been useless at messaging people, too, and I'm really sorry. I haven't written this looking for sympathy. I've written it for the sake of being honest. In the hope that I'll look back on this in the future and see how far I've come. I'm sure I'll be okay, I surround myself with nice, caring, amazing people, whether they live in the same house as me, or on the other side of the planet! If you read this, thank you so much for taking the time! This piece of writing got longer than expected - and it's not the type of blog you can fill with pretty pictures, either - so if you read it all, you're awesome, and I can't thank you enough for caring! <3

I auditioned for Britain's Got Talent!!!

I still can barely believe I actually did audition for one of the most popular shows in the country, Britain's Got Talent!

Saturday the 7th of November 2015 was one hell of a day: it was the day my favourite football team - Reading F.C. - lost 2-0 away to Cardiff; TGI Friday's had run out of Oreo chocolate milkshakes; I broke my lamp by accidentally knocking it over with my coat; and, oh yeah, I went and auditioned for one of the biggest talent shows in the world, Britain's Got Talent (BGT)! After a very busy period at my dad's workshop, where I helped complete somewhere around 1,200 signs - which were a mixture of computer engraved, drilled, cleaned, packed, etc. - in not a huge amount of days, I was given two days off to prepare for what had to be the scariest thing I've ever done in my life; truth be told, I'm still not sure how I plucked up the courage to do it!

I got my smartest clothes washed and ironed for the first time since my little brother's (Sam) Passing Out Parade for the Royal Navy over a year ago; polished my shoes; and then set to work on trying to make myself look half-decent for once. Sleep during the night before just didn't happen - I didn't even try! I, instead, used the time more productively, and I honestly didn't think I'd be able to sleep, anyhow. By the time I left the house at around 7am on the Saturday, I must've run through my performance piece hundreds of times; after all, it was the same monologue that was successful in getting me into a National Diploma in Performing Arts course at Reading College many years prior (The monologue was a fantastic and aggressive piece by the character Tom, from the play Skylight by David Hare, for those who are interested).

I'd arranged ages in advance for my best mate, Pete, to come with me for support - hell, I wouldn't have had it in me to do this by myself - so he picked me up and we headed for Hounslow in West London, where we got two underground trains across London, followed by a couple of stops on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The journey ran really smoothly, both there and back, taking around two-and-a-bit hours to get from Reading to the ExCeL arena over in East London (random thought: I can't really understand when people say the London Underground is hard to understand/navigate. It's one of the things I find pretty easy). We arrived at what has to be the most staggering - in terms of size - building I have ever seen! To put it in to some perspective: a train (DLR) station is located at both the west and east entrances to this building, it has 3,700 car parking spaces, there's a place for boats to dock up, it's around 100 acres in size, has 6 hotels, and 30 bars and restaurants! During the 2012 London Olympics, they divided the ExCeL into 5 sports halls, each with a capacity of between 4-6 thousand, and it hosted boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, taekwondo, fencing, and judo. Once Pete and I had found where the BGT auditions actually were, we had walked through the building for 10+ minutes! Yeah, it's mind-blowing, almost unfathomable in scale - take a look at a couple of these pictures below (writing continues below the pics):

A view from the west, where the entrance is a beautiful glass prism.

The east entrance. If Pete and I had come in this way, we'd have been where we were meant to be straightaway, instead of having to walk the full length of the gargantuan building!

A crew member said, "here for the 9am auditions, join this queue." So we joined a weaving queue where we waited for over two hours just to be signed in; then we were shepherded up some escalators to queue along part of the promenade section of the arena; then we went up even more escalators to where we queued along a walkway; then we were taken into a holding room where they play the BGT theme and somebody speaks to you all; and then you wait for hours and hours more... If we knew it was going to be this long, we would've come better prepared, but at least we were in a room where we could sit down, engage with other acts, and watch acts practice their pieces. Eventually we got called through to queue outside the door of where I was actually going to be auditioned. When I went in, it had genuinely been a wait of around 7+ hours (9:20am-4:30pm), but it really wasn't too bad, partly because we met some awesome, friendly, entertaining, and exuberant people. A foreign guy playing the accordion was lovely, and he genuinely nailed a few songs I heard him practicing - also, he got a yes from the producer who auditioned him, so if he gets a callback and invited to the televised auditions, it'll be nice to potentially see him on the TV. And that goes for anybody we bumped into that got a yes. Shoutout to two of the people that Pete and I mostly hung out with whilst waiting: Rosie and Prophecy. On to my audition:

I got called into one of the audition rooms, so I walked in nervously, said "hello" and confirmed who I am; they then say, "whenever you're ready." It's at this point that, in the space of seconds, everything runs through your head: will I somehow forget my lines? Will I even be able to speak? Do I wish the floor would just swallow me up so that I'd not have to do the scariest thing ever..!? But I launched into the monologue with power, nailed the pronunciation/diction of every word/sentence, and even my movement was good. Then you wait for the reply (I'm paraphrasing): "it's a no for today, but it was very good. You're clearly passionate. There's a very high level of talent, and you're not quite what we're looking for." I'm not going to lie, your heart does sink when you hear the word no - it's enough to bring people to tears. We saw a bunch of upset kids, which is never something you want to see! The producer was lovely - as were all the crew - and I left actually feeling good about myself. I had just done something that I had previously, two years prior, filled out the application form for and, yet, never managed to bring myself to go on that occasion, for many reasons.

Had it not have been for my best mate, I'd have bottled it again, no doubt - but I went, I left everything inside that audition room, and, truth be told, I'm damn proud of myself for trying! All that was left to do, was to get out of this huge building, get back to Reading (after taking a couple of pics of us by the Dockyards, which you can see below), and go grab an amazing dinner; we'd barely eaten all day! I think I kinda fell asleep in the car on the ride home - I had been awake for something like 30 hours. I bought Pete a decent meal in TGI Fridays (hmm... Jack Daniel's burger!) - hell, it was the least I could do after he had once again shown himself to be the best friend any human being could ever ask for! After that, all I wanted to do was get home and get to bed - sleep had rarely ever felt so good!

Side note: before sleeping that night, I saw Sam on TV, in full Navy gear, at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance. I had to mention that, so proud of that guy! :) As always, thanks for reading! ^-^ <3

Above: me. Below: Pete. In the background of the pics is a permanently moored yacht hotel!

3 major things from the past week: Gay Marriage, Top Gear, and the Lionesses!!

Above: England's starting line-up in the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win against Canada. Goals for England from Taylor (number 19) and Bronze (number 12, seen celebrating her brilliant header in the picture below).

3) England Women's Football Team

(Please note: this piece of writing was written before the semi-final against Japan) The England Women's football team (the "Lionesses") made the semi-finals of the "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015" on Saturday night - or early Sunday morning for those of us who stayed up in England to watch the history-making quarter-final win! It kind of annoys me that this doesn't seem to be more of a bigger deal; I mean, imagine the men were in this situation (a situation they haven't been in since Italia 90) - the whole country would be buzzing! Anyhow, women's football is certainly growing, and I, and many others, have fallen in love with the Lionesses during this World Cup, as the heart, soul, and passion is there to be seen from when they walk out onto the pitch and sing the national anthem with pride, and then the effort and talent they show during the matches, through to the celebrations (and sometimes tears) that follow their triumphs.

After watching every England match so far - and some others - there was really no way I wasn't going to be watching the England versus Canada quarter-final, even though it kicked-off at 12:30am UK time. Every English person who stayed up was rewarded within 11 minutes, as Jodie Taylor capitalized on a mistake by Lauren Sesselmann, before charging towards the edge of the box, leaving another Canada defender on her backside, and unleashing a fantastic strike into the bottom left corner of Erin McLeod's goal. And then, just three minutes later, England fans were absolutely ecstatic, as Fara Williams sent a free-kick deep to Lucy Bronze, who easily beat her marker to loop an amazing header in off the crossbar. Whether you were a Canada or England fan in the stadium - of which there were 54,027 attending - or at home, it's safe to say you were in a state of shock at this point, as nobody expected this. As is often the case with England teams, they like to make us sweat a little, and this match was no exception because we unfortunately conceded a soft goal due to an error from goalkeeper Karen Bardsley. But I'm not here to say anything bad about anybody, because England have been absolutely incredible this tournament, scoring two goals in each of their last four matches, and playing some excellent football along the way. I will be watching the semi-final against the current world champions, Japan, at midnight tonight (UK time) - in fact, I can't wait - and I sure hope that, if you're English and a football fan, you'll be doing the same, too. If you're not, I hope your excuse is that you have to be up early in the morning! XD EDIT: Absolutely heartbreaking to lose 2-1 to Japan in the semi-finals, and to an injury time goal, too! England played so well, were the better team for large portions of the match, and definitely didn't deserve to lose. Heads held high, Lionesses, you did us proud! <3

Above: As this image shows, Top Gear has always been more than just another show about cars - it really is an entertainment show that anybody can watch. Below: An unforgettable moment, when the three presenters gathered together all kinds of vehicles that were made in Britain - from sportscars like Aston Martins, Jaguars and McLarens, to JCBs, Rolls-Royces and F1 cars - on The Mall in London.

2) Top Gear

The last ever episode of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May aired on Sunday night, and I don't think Twitter was overreacting when people were saying that it's the end of an era. Yes, I know that Top Gear will continue with Chris Evans and other yet-to-be-known presenters, and I know that the three ex-Top Gear presenters will get a new motoring show elsewhere (Netflix, Amazon, and ITV are the rumoured destinations - personally, I hope ITV so that it stays on TV), but will Top Gear ever be the same again without these three lovable oafs at the helm, and will these three be able to replicate their success elsewhere without the phenomenal Top Gear crew behind them?

The final episode - which was two films put together without any of the usual other Top Gear segments anywhere to be seen, like the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" - was nothing special, but that's the thing: it was only ever intended to be just two more episodes from the current series, as nobody knew what was going to happen (Clarkson getting fired by the BBC for hitting a producer, for those of you who have been living under a rock recently!). LITTLE SPOILERS: They were good, though; in fact, the ending when they're racing their SUV's through fields, and even through a river, was really entertaining, with the loser - Hammond - having to deliver an after dinner speech about conservation, which was as awkward as can be expected! Also, the race between the three of them, and "leisure Stig", where they were all towing a caravan with their SUV's was hilarious, as the usual amount of chaos occurred, with caravans ending up in pieces. It still had classic Top Gear moments, too, like when Clarkson and May are relaxing and looking at loads of classic cars, and posing for photos with people, Hammond is seen in the background screaming whilst wing-riding on a plane! Every bit of filming in the studio was just Hammond and May, with no Clarkson (but there was a giant elephant in the studio - good spot, internet!) or an audience, and it really was sad to hear the two of them say goodbye for the last time, followed by silent credits. I really think they should've got the chance to record a "proper" finale - a sort of "goodbye" from all three of the presenters, as they are hugely responsible for one of the most popular shows of the last decade - but I guess that was always out of the question after what Clarkson did. Oh well, I'll forever be thankful for what Clarkson, Hammond, May, and the whole Top Gear team have given us. Some of the specials - like Vietnam, Polar, US, Bolivia, etc. - really have been some of the most entertaining TV I've ever seen. It's been a hell of a ride, and, who knows, maybe the future will hold two awesome motoring shows for us to watch?! ^-^

Above: An LGBT flag being waved with a US flag. Below: Not an image that's connected to gay marriage in the US, but I just loved this picture - it looks like the Dutch know how to throw a Gay Pride parade (on the canals of Amsterdam)!

1) GAY MARRIAGE

On June the 26th 2015, gay marriage became legal across the entirety of the United States of America, and it's safe to say that it was a pretty monumental day! Whilst it was obviously a historic day for the US, it was also a huge day for the rest of the world (well, those who are part of/support the belief that the LGBT community should have equal rights), as it ticks off another country who have now legalised gay marriage; following in the recent footsteps of the likes of Ireland - where the public voted "Yes" to it - and my country, Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), who brought the law into force last year (March 13th for England and Wales, December 16th for Scotland).

Gay marriage becoming legal in numerous countries gives more and more gay people the choice - a choice they deserve to have, as they deserve to have equal rights - but everybody on the whole planet deserves this choice, and a lot of countries still reject it, so the fight is far from over. Seeing so many profile pictures of my Facebook friends - including my own - be decorated with the rainbow of the LGBT flag is a wonderful and uplifting sight, as are the little rainbow hearts you see on Twitter as millions of people Tweet their support for gay marriage (#Lovewins). What makes me the most happiest is that it allows gay people to be themselves, more confident in their own skin, and accepted for who they truly are. It gives gay people the equality that they have always deserved, and that's just fantastic, as every human being deserves to be treated equally, regardless of sexuality, race, size, hair colour, hobbies/interests, etc. Love really does win! ^-^

"Marriage is about love, not gender" <3

Shoutout Sunday #7: The Marvellous Jaimee and Jason Deak

Top photo: The awesome Jason Deak. Middle photo: Jaimee and Jason on their wedding day on May 31st 2003. Bottom photo: The wonderful Jaimee Deak.

It takes a special situation for me to write about more than one person during a shoutout - the only other time I've done it so far is for my family - but with the lovely Jaimee and Jason Deak it's a no-brainer, as they're truly an amazing couple, a couple who both came into my life around about the same time, and a couple who I one day dream of being like! They both became my friend through Facebook back in January 2013, through our shared love of My Chemical Romance (to think, they split up just two months later!), as well as through a mutual friend, Randy Hyson Jr. I think it also initially helped that I'm English/British, as I found out pretty soon that they both absolutely love Britain, from Top Gear and Doctor Who, through to the fact that they both have ancestors from Britain: Jaimee's maiden name is Linthicum, which is of Welsh origin, and they both have connections to England, Scotland, and Wales.

It was actually on two separate occasions where I actually realised that they each really liked me, not just as a part of this magnificent online family who all loved the same type of music, but also as a close friend. On the 14th of August 2013, Jaimee tagged me in a beautiful status amongst her "best friends and family", with a link to the song "Here's To Us" by Halestorm. It was so nice to be included in this status, and it's something I never forget. I fell in love with the song, and even to this day it will still make me think of Jaimee and Jason. She then introduced me completely to Halestorm, giving me loads of songs to check out, and it showed me the type of music that they both adore. Yes, they love some modern rock, such as My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Avenged Sevenfold, and they also listen to all-sorts of genres, but their hearts will always be in hard rock, classic rock, and metal - it's just one of the many things they have in common. As all the phenomenal friends I've met online through music show, when you share a connection to the same band(s), it's often really easy to get along. As well as Jason, Jaimee, and I sharing a love for the same type of music, we also all love our sports and video games, and I know Jason loves playing online on his beloved Xbox, and they both love playing games - like NHL, Rock Band, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, etc. - with their son, Kristian.

Top photo: Jaimee meeting Frank Iero, the rhythm guitarist from My Chemical Romance. Middle photo: One of the family's cats, Latte. Bottom photo: Jason with their rat, Moxie.

On the 3rd of September 2013, I found out what type of guy Jason really is. I got my very first tattoo (and still my only tattoo, although I will get more one day!) on that day, and I uploaded a picture to Facebook excitedly, having told barely anybody what the tattoo was going to be - only my best friend, Pete, and girlfriend (at the time!) knew before I got it done. It was something I had thought about for many years, weighing up so many ideas in my head, eventually 100% deciding on getting these lyrics on my right forearm: "As my memory rests, But never forgets what I lost", from Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends". To me, this gave the tattoo two meanings: it was for a band I had loved for many years, and it would be a tribute to those who I've sadly lost from my life. The response was almost unanimously positive, with even my mum and dad liking it, but there was one person who was giving me some bad feedback and turning the whole status into one big confrontation, and what was an even bigger surprise is that it was one of my close friends from real life who was doing this (just to add: this situation is all under the rug now, I'm over it, and I've forgiven my friend)! Jason was one of the many people who stuck up for me, and it was then that I learnt that he was a good friend, and somebody who cared about me.

Jaimee and Jason are loyal, loving, passionate, sweet, and incredible human beings, and it is my privilege to not just know them, but to also be able to call them good friends. I know I'm far from the only one to think this, too, as the amount of support and love I've seen them both get on Facebook, when, say, one of them has been in hospital, is amazing. I've, of course, been there for them on those occasions, and always done my best to prove I'm a good friend, and I will forever be there for either of them if they need me. They have been there for me with relationship advice when I've needed it, they've helped me when said relationships have abruptly gone wrong and ended, and they've had my back on many occasions. I look at them as a perfect couple, the sort of relationship I dream of one day having, but Jason once said to me, "It hasn't been sunshine and rainbows all of the time, but it always comes down to her and I against the world", and maybe that's why they are such an awe-inspiring couple: because they're a team, and work together to overcome anything that may be thrown at them. They really are the sort of people you want on your side in life, and I really hope we one day meet, as it would be an unforgettable experience. I know we'll be friends forever - I love you guys! ^-^ <3

Top photo: Family time, playing some Rock Band. Bottom photo: Jaimee, Kristian, and Jason.

No "Shoutout Sunday" today - sorry (reason: surgery)!

Hello to all the lovely and amazing people reading this, I hope you're all well! :) It's unlike me to do a short(-ish) blog post - they're normally lengthy, detailed, full of pictures, and take numerous hours, if not days - but I'm doing it because I wanted to explain why there is unfortunately no "Shoutout Sunday" today. Firstly, allow me to assure you that this feature of my blog will continue for the foreseeable future, as I still have so many fantastic people to write about! But, basically, I'm having toe surgery tomorrow morning for the third time (third time lucky, eh?!), so I've been busy getting organised for that, as it is obviously very important! Normally I'd do anything to get a piece of writing done and published, including staying up most of the night if I had to, but that's just not an option right now. Walking on a busted big toe is no fun, and is sometimes incredibly painful, so here's hoping that it gets fixed for good this time - wish me luck! :) Thanks for understanding, take care, and I love you all! ^-^ <3

EDIT: After an unexpected turn of events, it turns out I'm now having my minor surgery tomorrow (Tuesday the 9th of June 2015)! Today's appointment was actually just a doctor's referral to get checked out by a podiatrist - which I genuinely didn't know; I had got prepared for surgery - prior to the actual date for surgery at a later time (surgery was always a definite, that I knew), but thanks to a cancellation, it's happening as soon as tomorrow. I'll let you know how it went! :)

EDIT Number 2: As you can see from the picture above, the surgery has now been done, and it went very well! The lengthy couple of injections of local anaesthetic were incredibly painful, to the point of going light-headed and not being able to see; basically, almost passing out! But you have to have that pain to prevent the pain that would otherwise occur in the next bit: when a knife and scissors get used on your toe! Thanks to the "magic" of the anaesthetic, I felt nothing, and so everything ran smoothly from then on. It's throbbing like crazy right now, and the healing and aftercare process is long - a dressing change and saltwater soaking every day until it perfectly heals - but it'll all be worth it to walk properly again forever! :)

Whilst I'm here, I want to say a massive thank you to anybody who is reading this, read anything else on my blog, shared/re-tweeted anything, and/or followed me - it's always hugely appreciated, and I thank you for taking this journey with me! :D <3 So much more to come on my blog in the near future, including a lot of music-related content - like, more album reviews, and my favourite songs list which I've been working on for a very long time - as I know most of you guys always enjoy music posts, so please stay tuned! :)

Shoutout Sunday #6: The Lovely Lilly Simpson

(ALL NAMES CHANGED FOR PERSONAL REASONS, AND ALL PICS OF PERSON REMOVED)

I've known the lovely Lilly Simpson for absolutely years now, so much so that it wasn't that easy to retrace the steps back to the time when we very first chatted, because the conversation started on a Facebook profile of hers that doesn't exist anymore. But a search through my Facebook message history digs up the old messages, which date all the way back to the 9th of November 2011, and my life has certainly been better since for having this warm-hearted, compassionate, and phenomenal human being in it.

The reason we were Facebook friends in the first place is mainly down to a British rock band that we both absolutely adore, Elliot Minor (to find out how much I love this band, and to read about the day I saw them live for possibly the last time ever - due to the fact that they're not really an active band anymore - please go check out this blog piece, "Elliot Minor: One More Time?"), but she also loves My Chemical Romance, too. She was one of my earliest Facebook friends outside of my "real" friends and family (and definitely my first Elliot Minor friend), and it didn't take long for us to get on very well, as, for me, it always seems easy to bond with people over something you're both passionate about, and I actually find it easier to get to know people from behind a computer screen, without the awkwardness that comes from me being in social situations! We both love the same type of music, and chatted about Elliot Minor and MCR, of course, but also about brilliant bands like We Are The In Crowd and Every Avenue (3 out of 4 of those bands are not currently together - come back, I miss you all!). Lilly has been to see MCR - in Cardiff in 2011 with her mum - which is something I never got around to doing, due to their sad split, and I've always kicked myself ever since; which is why I've always since tried my damnedest to get tickets to see all my favourite bands before it's possibly too late. She's seen We Are The In Crowd live, too, which is another reason to currently be jealous of her! We became very close, becoming amazing friends to a point where you knew that we will never go our separate ways (cheeky Elliot Minor reference for you, Lilly!), and, whilst I know I say this quite often about my online friends, she's genuinely like a sibling to me. My music-loving Facebook friends really are like a second family to me. Due to both living in the UK - Lilly from Cardiff in Wales, me from Reading in England - it meant we got the opportunity to text, too, so we really did get to know each other very well, and that's why I'm able to write these words about just how amazing she is!

Above: Lilly's gecko, Violet.

Above: Lilly's albino ferret, Mitch.

Above: Lilly's bearded dragon, Bulbasaur (awesome name, by the way!)

One of the things I love about Lilly is her adoration for pets and animals. I've seriously lost count of all the pets of hers or her families that I've seen on Facebook, but I must talk specifically about her family's horses. Just recently she was talking to me about how passionate she is about these beautiful animals, and how her family keep them in fields (not stables); don't put any horseshoes on them, or bits in their mouths; give them rugs and extra food in the winter, etc. She actually apologised at the time for "ranting" about the whole thing, but I actually think it's wonderful to hear of animals being treated like this - the way they should be, like an extra member of the family. She has a gorgeous white pony named Powder, who is now 13, and Lilly has had him since he was about 1; so, if her figures and my maths are correct, she has owned Powder since around the age of 6 (she's 18)! I've included a few pictures of her pets up above, and you can see a couple of her stunning horses at the bottom of this piece.

I'll probably get a bit emotional talking about this, but Lilly has been there for me when I've been depressed, as well as on the occasions when my past relationships have gone down the drain and I've been in pieces. She often always knows the right things to say - hell, if somebody even takes the time to ask you how you are, then that's lovely - and has helped me in so many ways. There really aren't many more caring and sympathetic people on this planet than her! Like I said before, I get the idea (and I hope she does, too?) that this is a relationship that can't be broken, and I believe that we will always be in each other's corners if needs be. We will meet in the near future, no doubt, it's literally one train ride away, and that will be a fantastic experience (I've been lucky enough to meet a few of my Elliot Minor friends at one of their concerts, so here's hoping they do more, meaning we could meet at it!). I love you, Lilly, you amazing individual! ^-^ <3

Lilly's mum's horse, Khaz, who is 15hh!